– Last year we appointed a special working group to work exclusively on this matter, says the Director for Investigations Eirik Stolt-Nielsen of the Norwegian Competition Authority.

The ongoing investigation was featured on NRK television news on Tuesday, 25 January.

Has top priority
– We have carried out several dawn raids and taken testimony from a number of people in several cities. The first dawn raid took place in February 2010 and the most recent in November, continues Stolt-Nielsen. – The detection and investigation of competition crime is the Norwegian Competition Authority's main task, and cases like this have top priority, he assures.

Price fixing, bid rigging and other forms of cooperation that restrict competition are prohibited under the Competition Act. For such violations of the law, the Competition Authority may impose administrative fines on the enterprises. Responsible persons can be tried and sentenced to imprisonment for up to three years - or up to six years in the case of particularly aggravating circumstances.

Contact us!
 – Illegal collusion can be very difficult to detect, and the Norwegian Competition Authority is therefore dependent on tips from those who know the markets well. Buyers in both the private and public sectors, for example, have an important role - they are in a unique position to detect irregularities in tender processes, points out the Director of Investigations. He encourages anyone who knows about or suspects a breach of the competition law to contact the Competition Authority.

Buyers have an important role
The Norwegian Competition Authority has recently prepared an information package to buyers with tips and advice on how to prevent and detect bid rigging. The package was recently sent out to a number of public sector purchasers. It can also be ordered by contacting the Authority (Norwegian language only).